Powerglide pressure?

Right or wrong, we run a Showgun 5 qt cooler on our Monsterglide behind a blown BBC. Last time out we blew the end of the cooler out at the weld. Cracked about half way around the end. Have run this combo for 2 yrs no problems...any ideas as to why. Glide look perfect inside. Converter is being serviced now.

 

xxx

AH.......Wise racer knows welds not good, when come from China.

 

I have seen a few of the glides, after a few years of running at the high line pressures necessary for the way we play, that will start to have abnormally high line pressure. I have attributed this to the valve bodies warping slightly and cross leaking internally causing the instability.
The symptoms from the high line vary from one to the next, it can be seen with a gauge tough. The pressure will keep climbing with higher rpm instead of stabilizing. (past 300 psi)
The fix in each case has been to replace the valve body, or send it back to the manufacturer for service where they will cut it flat again and replace the separator plate if necessary.

Hope this helps

Or it could just be a bad weld

 

Makes you wonder how many parts are from China on these racecars.

I was also wondering what others are running for a cooler or do you just loop the line?

 

You can get a good cooler from tci.

 

Although we run a T400 we use and external cooler with a bypass valve so the cooler only works when the temp goes over 180 deg. It helps to get heat in it real quick, 10 years and no problem with the setup (although we have broken plenty of 400's for other reasons !!) Cheers Graham

 

unless you drive it around the pits you don't need a cooler... take it off and loop the cooler line.

 

I have freinds who run them and others that don't... My trans guy says that the value is more in the extra fluid capacity but after having my trans out a few times recently for minor problems I am starting to think a loop it a good idea, less mess they seem to take ages to drain.... Jody, are you currently running a glide without a cooler?

Cheers Pete

 

Yes no cooler...and round robin racing. Hottest my PG got last summer was 180 deg. then I just set a carpet drying fan under it out of pity. Car runs 3.80's in the 1/8 and .900to .925 60fts.

 

Thanks for replying...I just needed a little nudge in the right direction. I'm gonna loop the line and get me some .925 60ft.....Jody said it so!

 

Mike you still goin to Tulsa? I think your racecar trailer just washed past my shop in the ditch!

 

34........

When one uses an automatic transmission, there are variables that allow for additional "heat" to build up.
The timing of each lane doing their burnout. Side by side or at different times.
How often the fluid is changed.
The temperture of the track.
If a car is using a transmission blanket, this allows for greater temps. with an additional amount of time to "cool down"
And of course the starter who controlls the time till the green shows it's color.

If we all had the ability to use a starter, as who was at the March Meet, then our transmissions would certainly last longer. What a PRO he was!
It has been said, that for every second that a car is on it's converter, the fluid can gather an additional 100* per second.

Sooooooo.... if an in line cooler is installed, the benefits out weigh not having one.
A cooler adds additional fluid.
It takes longer for "all" of the fluid to reach a critical temp.
The cooler acts as a heat sink, allowing for cooling during a run.

IF.... a cooler wasn't a good idea, then why have some big time players invested in cooling devices that are connected, when being towed back to the pits, or where the fluid is cycled and cooled when back in the pits?

I'd say the benefits out weigh the negatives.

It's called the "Ben Franklin Close", draw a line down the center of a piece of paper, and list the positives as well as the negatives, then make your decision.

 

I am going tomorrow, tuesday. catch my trailer and bring it back, I'm gonna need it.

 

Last time out was Labor day near Charlston SC. over 95 deg temp and the track was hot as hell...humid as hell too. I only two step when my side of tree starts down on a sportsman tree or after we are both staged on a pro tree. The thing about a cooler is it only works when the car is running and in my case we tow it everywhere. A simple fan on it between every pass keeps it cooler than 190 deg.... no matter how hot it is outside. BUT... a really loose converter will heat it up quicker than a tight one so watch out for that.

 

Jody....

What power you making and what do you have your idle set at....
Cheers Pete

 

Never ran on dyno.....2500 hp????? Car weighs 2100 lbs with me in it and has run 3.80 flat with an out of the box, 60 plus run PSI 14/71 and a small shaft powerglide. Should run deep into the 3.70's with a fresh blower and a leaner tuneup.As far as idle I think it's around 1800 rpm...I run just enough to keep it from loping while staging, it's makes it easier to stage. Too high of an idle will make staging a bitch.

 

Before you go pulling the cooler off, watch your temps. I have seen guys in the mid 6's (low to mid 4's in the 1/8) that even with a cooler would absolutely cook their trans. Almost all of the heat is generated in the torque converter, so which converter you are using, and how you are using it, makes a big difference.
If you are bracket racing this thing you need to watch at what temp your stall speed changes, as this will affect consistency. The stall will change with temp. because the viscosity of the oil changes with temp. The synthetics seem to change less over a broader temp range, but they are not a fix all.
Having fluid sitting out in the cooler while you are between rounds will give an immediate cool down upon start-up, this is not a bad thing, but all of this is irrelevant if your temps are as low as Jody's.

 

Yes pays to have all the factors lined up, I have been having a problem with heat in the convertor, we think due to idle being set too high. Won't have a chance to check this now for a while... Where are you guys checking your trans temps?

Cheers Pete

 

Temp probe in the pan.

 

x2 what Jody says